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The KUT Longhorn Radio Network Presents: Mexican American Experience Collection

Audio recordings including interviews, music, and informational programs related to the Mexican American community and their concerns in the series "The Mexican American Experience" and "A esta hora conversamos" from the Longhorn Radio Network, 1976-1982.

Did the Chicano Vote Affect the Outcome of the 1980 Elections?

Fred Cervantes, a professor at Corpus Christi State University discusses Chicano voter turnout in the recent election of Ronald Reagan to the presidency and the impact the election will have on Chicanos. Cervantes first addresses the issue of low voter turn-out in the presidential election. He explains that Reagan’s election was a rejection of the Carter presidency and its foreign and economic policies. He then discusses the low numbers of minority voters as part of a downward trend in voter participation that dates to the 1960s and which Watergate exacerbated. Despite the low participation of Chicano voters, Cervantes believes that they will continue to be an important block in future elections especially as Republicans seek to expand their base.

Cervantes also address the potential implications of a Reagan presidency. He explains that Reagan will likely cut back funds for social welfare programs and perhaps permit the Voting Rights Act to expire. He predicts that Reagan will also grant concessions to many of the industries and big businesses that allied with him during the election. Cervantes also discusses what these changes might mean for Chicanos, and he looks at how Reagan’s plans to expand jobs might affect Chicano workers.

Cervantes then returns to the subject of the election and the reasons why the Democratic Party lost and how they can reorganize during the Reagan administration.